basics

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I think you've got a nice basis starting point for your trip.

I will say that you've got a few gaps - notably Pittsburgh to DC and Baltimore to NYC - where you've got drives that are far more than 3 hours. They can certainly be done in a day, but especially when you factor in east coast traffic, I wouldn't be surprised if both of those drives took 5 hours or more.

Stop wise, you could easily spend 2 days in DC and not have time to see all the museums and monuments, so that would be an obvious choice for me. I haven't done much other than drive through Indy or Columbus, and I've only made one day type stops in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but both Pit and Balt are places I could have easily spent more time.

Staying in Newark is likely a great idea, especially if your hotel has free/cheap parking and is close to a train station where you'll be able to easily commute into the city.

The National Road

East of Columbus, I'd suggest getting off the interstate and driving US-40, which is the Old National Road. It is especially scenic between Zanesville and Cambridge with lots of old places and neat little towns along with the "Y' Bridge in Zanesville and the "S" Bridges.